DIY Network

Growing Tips, Rust Fly Help, Harvesting Hints Growing Tips, Rust Fly Help, Harvesting Hints From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-119

Follow these guidelines to help make sure your carrot crop thrives from seedling stage to harvest time....

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	A simple cover of soil protects carrots' tender tops -- this is often referred to as "earthing-up."
	Lightweight row covers let light and water in but keep insects out -- just rest them on the plants or place supports beneath.
	Gauge your harvest time by the carrots' color: the brighter the color, the better the taste!
	Carrots with twisted, hairy, splitting or forked roots usually indicate some type of interference with growth ....
	Clean just-harvested carrots with water and a soft brush.

• Weather, soil conditions and age affect the way carrots taste. Carrots need time to develop their full sugar content! One thing you will need do as the crowns of the carrots grow out is to protect them from the sun. Carrots can develop what is called "green shoulders" The carrots basically get a case of sunburn. Exposure to sunlight will make the carrots bitter. A simple cover of soil will protect the tops. This is often referred to as "earthing-up."

• As the tops of the roots emerge, look for the appearance of the orange root crowns just at the soil’s surface. You should cover these tops with soil or mulch so that they do not turn green. You can pull a small amount of loose soil up to where the roots are swelling, covering the stem bases with the soil. If you still experience green shoulders at harvest time, you can cut away the green portion of the carrot and use the rest of the root.

• Carrots are light feeders and need little or no supplemental fertilizer. Carrots really don't like a lot of nitrogen during root development, so be sure not to use fresh manure or high-nitrogen fertilizers at this point should you need to add fertilizer.

• Now when you plant a crop of carrots everyone in the neighborhood will try to invade your garden including animals and pests. The biggest animal pest is the rabbit. If you're invaded by rabbits, one of simplest solution is the family pet. Cats and dogs will keep most rabbits from coming into their property. The pets mark their territory and it acts as an invisible fence for rabbits.

• When it comes to protecting your garden from pests, the only insect of consequence to a carrot crop is the rust fly, which primarily habitats in the Northeast and on the West coast. The best defense against disease is a good offense. Be sure to grow the strongest and most disease-resistant variety of carrot

• You can use floating row covers to help protect your carrot crop from rust flies. These lightweight row covers let light and water in but keep the insects out! You can just rest them on top of the plants or support them above the plants, both techniques work well.

• Carrots should be ready for harvest about 60 to 70 days after sowing but they will be juicy and tender if harvested earlier. In very cold winter climates, you should harvest all your carrots before any hard frosts. If you leave them in ground, they will become hard and woody. However, if you have mild winters, you can leave carrots in ground for storage. After the first hard frosts, cover the carrots, top and all, with mulch.

• One way to judge that a carrot is ready to be harvested is by its color -- usually the brighter the color, the better the taste. A simple taste test will determine if the carrots are ready for harvest. Carrots get sweeter the closer they get to maturity. The largest carrots will have the darkest greenest tops. Most carrots are ready when they are about an inch in diameter at the crown.

• Carrots can be harvested or "pulled" while the roots are small, at least 1/2" in diameter. Carrots should be firm but tender and well-colored. There is no need to harvest your crop all at once. Carrots can be harvested while they are still young. The harvest period for most carrots lasts about 6 to 8 weeks.

• To make the carrot roots easier to pull, you should drench the bed with water to loosen the soil. If you have any compacted soil you can use a garden fork, to loosen the soil. Next, you grasp the greens at the crown and tug gently with a twisting motion to pull out the carrot. If the greens snap off, you should carefully lift the roots with a garden fork. The hand can pull out shorter varieties, but longer ones and those grown on heavier soils may need digging out with a fork. If you do this try to avoid piercing the roots with the fork.
  
  
• If you pull up a carrot with twisted, hairy, splitting or forked roots, several events may have occurred during growth. Twisted roots point to inadequate thinning of the bed. Forked roots often mean that the seed bed was not fine enough. Hairy roots indicate excessive fertility and splitting occurs when heavy rain follows a dry period.

• Once harvested, scrub the fresh carrots clean with a soft brush. Because of the many nutrients just below the carrot's surface, it's better to rinse and scrub with a vegetable brush or scrape lightly rather than peel the skin. You should use any carrots damaged roots right away. Damaged roots should be used in the kitchen or thrown away -- only unblemished carrots should be stored. Damaged carrots can invite bacterial soft rot, which enters through cuts and breaks at harvest time.

• There are several ways to store carrots: leave them in the ground under heavy mulch; store them in a root cellar or keep them under refrigeration. You should store carrots with the green tops trimmed. Be sure to clip the foliage with shears about an inch from the root. Although the tops are edible, during the storage this greenery robs the carrot of moisture and nutritional value. Ideal storage for carrots is 32 degrees Fahrenheit and 99% humidity.

• One of the best places to store your carrots is in the refrigerator crisper, set on high humidity or vegetable setting. Just be sure not to store your carrots with fruits like apples and pears that give off ethylene gas, which speeds up the aging process. Under proper storage conditions, carrots will keep 4 to 6 months.